yourself get your hopes up for things that may never come.”
“It’ll come,” Nate said, looking at Ed and Tommy. “It’ll come.”
Chapter Fifteen: Diversions
“Okay, guys, we came down one at a time, we’ll go up one at a time,” Carl said, pointing up at the rocky wash they had climbed down from the ridge to join Q at the cave. “Jason, you go first since you’ll make it to the top quicker than Evan—being hurt and all. Then we can both cover him, and I’ll bring up the rear. Once at the top, just keep your eyes open until we all get joined back up and head back down the other side. The tops of the ridges around here are about as close as the drones and choppers can get to us with the steepness of the terrain. They don’t have much room to drop down between the hills.”
“Roger Roger,” Jason answered sharply as he immediately began to ascend the steep and rocky hill.
“How you hangin’ in there, Evan?” Carl asked.
“Oh, I’ll be fine. I’ll be glad to be home, that’s for sure.”
“We’ll give you a good meal and send you on your way once we get back. By the time we finish with supper, it’ll be getting dark and you can travel under the cover of darkness on a full stomach.”
“That sounds like a plan,” Evan replied as he watched Jason bound from rock to rock like a mountain goat. Show off, he thought jokingly.
As Jason crested the top of the hill, he took a moment to scan the area for any potential threats, then motioned for Evan to proceed. Evan slung his AK over his back and began climbing from rock to rock, pausing occasionally to deal with the pain from his wound. Suck it up, buttercup! he admonished himself, trying to ignore the pain and not slow the others down.
Reaching the top of the ridge, Jason reached down and grabbed his hand, pulling him on up the last few feet. “Damn, man. I didn’t think you were ever gonna make it up here. I thought I was gonna have to come down and carry you up like a pack mule.”
“Yeah, yeah... whatever,” Evan replied.
As Jason looked back down the hill at Carl, he noticed that Carl had turned around and was looking behind him. Just then, an Mi24 attack helicopter rose above the opposing ridge like an ominous specter with its weapons stations loaded down as if prepared for war.
“Go!” shouted Carl as he pulled something from his daypack and began running laterally across the hillside. He fired a flare in the direction of the helicopter, causing it to swerve momentarily as if taking evasive action from a threat. Carl had disappeared into the woods as quickly as he fired the shot.
Evan and Jason began running downhill, dodging limbs and branches, jumping over brush, using the steep incline of the terrain to their advantage. Keeping their momentum moving, they were able to clear many obstacles they otherwise would not be able to make in a single jump.
Hearing the ominous thump-thump-thump of the Mi24 Hind’s main rotors, Evan and Jason didn’t even slow down to look behind themselves to see if it was in pursuit. They heard the Hind’s four-barreled 12.7mm machine gun open fire and they realized they were not its immediate targets; they used the opportunity to change course.
“This way!” Jason shouted, leading Evan off course, away from the route they had used to get there from Carl’s cabin.
Running through the woods at a breakneck pace, Evan was having a hard time keeping up with his friend and began to slow and lose ground on him. He simply could not struggle through the pain to keep up the pace as the wound was beginning to take its toll on him. He could feel the wetness seeping down his side and knew Patricia’s stitch job was simply not holding up under the intense physical activity.
Coming to a stop and taking a knee, he looked up to see Jason turn his head to check on him, immediately causing him to reverse course to come back for his friend.
“Ev, are you okay?” Jason asked, struggling to catch his
“It’ll come,” Nate said, looking at Ed and Tommy. “It’ll come.”
Chapter Fifteen: Diversions
“Okay, guys, we came down one at a time, we’ll go up one at a time,” Carl said, pointing up at the rocky wash they had climbed down from the ridge to join Q at the cave. “Jason, you go first since you’ll make it to the top quicker than Evan—being hurt and all. Then we can both cover him, and I’ll bring up the rear. Once at the top, just keep your eyes open until we all get joined back up and head back down the other side. The tops of the ridges around here are about as close as the drones and choppers can get to us with the steepness of the terrain. They don’t have much room to drop down between the hills.”
“Roger Roger,” Jason answered sharply as he immediately began to ascend the steep and rocky hill.
“How you hangin’ in there, Evan?” Carl asked.
“Oh, I’ll be fine. I’ll be glad to be home, that’s for sure.”
“We’ll give you a good meal and send you on your way once we get back. By the time we finish with supper, it’ll be getting dark and you can travel under the cover of darkness on a full stomach.”
“That sounds like a plan,” Evan replied as he watched Jason bound from rock to rock like a mountain goat. Show off, he thought jokingly.
As Jason crested the top of the hill, he took a moment to scan the area for any potential threats, then motioned for Evan to proceed. Evan slung his AK over his back and began climbing from rock to rock, pausing occasionally to deal with the pain from his wound. Suck it up, buttercup! he admonished himself, trying to ignore the pain and not slow the others down.
Reaching the top of the ridge, Jason reached down and grabbed his hand, pulling him on up the last few feet. “Damn, man. I didn’t think you were ever gonna make it up here. I thought I was gonna have to come down and carry you up like a pack mule.”
“Yeah, yeah... whatever,” Evan replied.
As Jason looked back down the hill at Carl, he noticed that Carl had turned around and was looking behind him. Just then, an Mi24 attack helicopter rose above the opposing ridge like an ominous specter with its weapons stations loaded down as if prepared for war.
“Go!” shouted Carl as he pulled something from his daypack and began running laterally across the hillside. He fired a flare in the direction of the helicopter, causing it to swerve momentarily as if taking evasive action from a threat. Carl had disappeared into the woods as quickly as he fired the shot.
Evan and Jason began running downhill, dodging limbs and branches, jumping over brush, using the steep incline of the terrain to their advantage. Keeping their momentum moving, they were able to clear many obstacles they otherwise would not be able to make in a single jump.
Hearing the ominous thump-thump-thump of the Mi24 Hind’s main rotors, Evan and Jason didn’t even slow down to look behind themselves to see if it was in pursuit. They heard the Hind’s four-barreled 12.7mm machine gun open fire and they realized they were not its immediate targets; they used the opportunity to change course.
“This way!” Jason shouted, leading Evan off course, away from the route they had used to get there from Carl’s cabin.
Running through the woods at a breakneck pace, Evan was having a hard time keeping up with his friend and began to slow and lose ground on him. He simply could not struggle through the pain to keep up the pace as the wound was beginning to take its toll on him. He could feel the wetness seeping down his side and knew Patricia’s stitch job was simply not holding up under the intense physical activity.
Coming to a stop and taking a knee, he looked up to see Jason turn his head to check on him, immediately causing him to reverse course to come back for his friend.
“Ev, are you okay?” Jason asked, struggling to catch his
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